While Scott Morrison presented himself as a reticent candidate, in reality he used unpopular tax cuts to damage Turnbull and fooled Dutton over numbers.

As Barnaby Joyce, newly minted special envoy for drought, made a grab for Murray–Darling water, the royal commission into the basin faced yet another setback.

After a ‘disastrous week’ for the government, Scott Morrison has emerged as Australia’s next prime minister, defeating Peter Dutton in a Liberal party room vote. Josh Frydenberg will be deputy Liberal leader.

As Malcolm Turnbull’s prime ministership collapsed, with Scott Morrison replacing him, members of his own cabinet threatened to ‘open the bottom drawer’ and release a dirt file they believed would force him out of the leadership.

The South Australian government’s refusal to extend the royal commission into the Murray–Darling finds it accused of collusion with the federal government.

David Leyonhjelm’s bill to permit the territories to pass assisted dying legislation was defeated despite argument it is as much about territory rights.

Allegations that the Murray–Darling Basin Plan was compromised by government agency interference have emerged during the SA royal commission.

A Commonwealth challenge to South Australia’s Murray–Darling royal commission has become a state rights battleground with implications for the Constitution.

Further revelations of political bastardry in this weekend’s byelections, including accusations of solicited interviews, show how much is at stake for all parties.